Canvas Stadium 10 Year Anniversary: Opening Statement

The opening was definitely grand.

Debuting as the Colorado State football home on Aug. 26, 2017, the Rams stormed past Oregon State to christen what would become known as Canvas Stadium on a sunny Saturday afternoon, under clear skies and a picturesque 84 degree day in front of a packed house.

It was Zero week, but there was the underlying pressure of not missing the moment.

"That's why we've been talking about it since January, talking about the magnitude of this moment," then CSU-coach Mike Bobo said. "Excitement, it's going to be in the air. The expectations of this football program and this team, just the magnitude of this week: It's the first week back in school; classes starting. First time we've had a game on campus in almost 50 years. The excitement, that's going to be here.

"We've talked about all of these things, but we've continued to talk about what we have to do to get ready. We're not going to be tailgating. We're not going to be enjoying the beautiful concourse or the food that they have in the concession stands. We're going to be playing a football game, and we've got to get ready to play that football game against a very good opponent."

The Rams seized it, posting a 58-27 victory over a team which will now become a Pac-12 foe.

Falling behind early, the Rams took a 24-17 lead into halftime on Dalyn Dawkins' second touchdown of the half – one receiving, one rushing. After the break, Colorado State's defense put the clamps on the Beavers' offense while supplying points of its own. The unit forced five turnovers , including three interceptions, each by a different player. The most damaging was Tre Thomas' 44-yard interception return to cap a third-quarter push to make the advantage 34-20.

Nick Stevens threw for 334 yards and three scores on the afternoon, with Michael Gallup hauling in 11 receptions for 134 yards. Three different running backs scored on the ground with Marvin Kinsey Jr. and Izzy Matthews joining Dawkins, who was one of three Rams to snare touchdown catches from Stevens.

In a high-octane contest, Colorado State scored on 10 of its 14 possessions – five consecutive at one point -- scoring touchdowns on its final three drives.

Not only did the stadium open, but the day also launched some memorable careers. Warren Jackson, Ryan Stonehouse. Manny Jones and Adam Prentice played in their first collegiate game on heir way to NFL careers.

The concept was an on-campus stadium would bring back alumni and allow them to reconnect with the university campus once again. Not only that, the facility was envisioned as a centerpiece for the community, a place where Fort Collins and Northern Colorado would come together.

More than 2,000 events later – most of them not football games – the sentiment has proven true. And on that sunny afternoon, the dream instantly became a glorious reality.

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